The scene of the plane crash in the Philippines. Photo / via Twitter
The scene of the plane crash in the Philippines. Photo / via Twitter
At least 17 people are feared dead after a Philippine Air Force plane crashed in the southern part of the country.
Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said rescue efforts are ongoing. He said the aircraft had 92 people on board, including three pilots and five crew. The rest were army personnel.
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was one of two ex-US Air Force aircraft handed over to the Philippines as part of military assistance this year.
It crashed on landing shortly before noon on Sunday in Bangkal village in the mountainous town of Patikul in Sulu province, chief of staff General Cirilito Sobejana said.
A military transport plane has crashed in the Philippines with 85 people on board, several killed and injured pic.twitter.com/OTsOb4EjQb
— Khalid (Halit Ertuğrul) (@khalid_pk) July 4, 2021
The plane was transporting troops from southern Cagayan de Oro city, Sobejana said. Government forces have been battling Abu Sayyaf militants in the predominantly Muslim province of Sulu for decades. It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.
BREAKING: PH MILITARY PLANE CARRYING 85 PEOPLE CRASHES
A military plane carrying at least 85 people crashed in the southern Philippines on Sunday, the armed forces chief said. (Photos courtesy of Pondohan TV) | via @AFPpic.twitter.com/yGUkyNptl7
— The Philippine Star (@PhilippineStar) July 4, 2021
"The plane missed the runway and it was trying to regain power but failed and crashed," Sobejana told reporters.
Sobejana said at least 40 people on board were brought to a hospital and troops were trying to save the rest.
The plane was transporting troops from southern Cagayan de Oro city, Sobejana said. Photo / via Twitter
It has been raining in the central Philippines but it was not immediately clear if the weather in the Sulu region was a factor.
The airport in Sulu's main town of Jolo is a few kilometres from a mountainous area where troops have battled Abu Sayyaf. Some militants have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group.
A file photo shows a Philippine Air Force C-130 transport plane. Photo / AP
The United States and the Philippines have blacklisted Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist organisation for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.
It has been considerably weakened by years of government offensives but remains a threat.
